It’s never too late to start exercising. Whether you’ve never taken up any sport in your life or planning to change the approach to exercises due to age, you’ll be excited to find out how many options exist for seniors.
Sports are important for people regardless of their age. In fact, the older you get, the more vital sports are for your well-being. Keeping muscles toned while taking care of your cardiovascular health can substantially improve your life quality and help you deal with certain health conditions.
Let’s take a look at the best sports for seniors.
1. Golf
Many people call golf a sport for seniors. In fact, it’s an excellent sport for people of any age. After all, such golf legends as Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, and Arnold Palmer started playing the game when they were very young.
It’s one of the best sports for seniors due to its numerous benefits, such as stress relief, weight loss, heart health improvement, and much more. Meanwhile, it allows you to spend hours breathing fresh air while not putting too much strain on the joints (as long as you wear the right golf attire, proper golf shoes being the most important).
The biggest advantage of golf is that it’s a sport you can take up at any age, even if you’ve never tried it before.
2. Swimming
The benefits of swimming are so numerous; it’s hard to list them in one article. To start, it tones muscles, improves cardiovascular health, and helps maintain a healthy weight. All of the above are excellent for seniors.
The biggest benefit of swimming is that it doesn’t give strain to the joints and bones. Another advantage is easy access. The majority of seniors can find indoor and outdoor swimming pools not far from where they live. In fact, a pool is much easier to find than, for example, a golf course. It won’t make a hole in your wallet either.
doing yoga all their lives? They are healthy, agile, and thrilled people. Even if you’ve only watched yoga exercises on TV before, it’s never too late to start. Yoga is gentle on the body while allowing you to tone the muscles and add agility to your limbs.
The breathing techniques you learn while doing yoga can help you in many situations that involve stress. Yoga improves your physical and mental strength and balance.
very beneficial for seniors. Somewhat similar to yoga, this exercise stretches the muscles, helps your balance, and relieves pressure on the joints. It also teaches certain breathing and relaxation techniques.
Pilates can alleviate symptoms of various conditions, such as high blood pressure, arthritis, and insomnia. These exercises allow the body to become more flexible, thus improving the quality of a senior’s life while making slips and falls less dangerous.
5. Ping Pong
When it comes to ping-pong, some people believe that it’s way too easy. Others deem it too hard. In fact, it’s an excellent activity to develop good coordination, improve heart health, and have fun with a friend.
Ping-pong requires strategic thinking, which improves your brain activity. Meanwhile, it would help if you ran around quite a bit, giving you excellent cardio exercise. Ping-pong is one of the few popular sports that will help you improve cognitive functions.
Whatever sport you choose for yourself, start slowly. Unless you’ve been exercising without breaks for the past several years, you need to go easy on your body. This is true for everyone, not just seniors. But for seniors, a careless approach can have unfortunate health consequences.
